Samford 1, Tennessee 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University soccer team used a thrilling first-half goal from true freshman Malcanisha Kelley on Sunday to knock off the visiting Tennessee Lady Vols, 1-0, in a hotly contested matchup held at the Samford Track and Soccer Complex.
The win was Samford’s first against Tennessee (1-1), as the Bulldogs moved to 1-1 in the all-time series between the teams. Last season, the Lady Vols posted a 4-0 triumph over Samford (1-1) in Knoxville, Tenn.
The Bulldogs have now defeated four Southeastern Conference opponents in their history; a list that includes Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Tennessee. Although Samford has never defeated Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs advanced past the Commodores via penalty kicks in the 2005 NCAA tournament.
Samford will face another SEC opponent Friday as the Bulldogs welcome the Auburn Tigers to the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium for a pivotal nonconference battle.
Samford was outshot by Tennessee, 12-11, on Sunday, but the Bulldogs’ Kelley tallied the most important shot attempt of the evening in the 10th minute.
On the game-winning goal, Kelley, Samford’s dynamic 5-foot-10 forward from Childersburg, Ala., raced under a perfectly placed pass from Jordan Johnson and beat Tennessee’s defender to the box. Kelley was then one-on-one with goalkeeper Julie Eckel and beat the Lady Vols’ junior into the inside left post. The goal was Kelley’s first of her collegiate career.
Tennessee’s offense was led by Hannah Wilkinson’s six shot attempts. The Lady Vols’ 5-foot-11 junior forward is a member of the New Zealand National Team and one of the top strikers in the SEC. Caroline Brown also rattled off four shot attempts for Tennessee on Sunday.
In goal for Samford, true freshman Katie Peters finished with five key saves and earned her the first shutout of her budding collegiate career. With 12:07 remaining in the match, Peters secured the victory for the Bulldogs as she made a diving one-on-one stop against Tennessee’s Brown.
For the second straight match, Samford’s starting lineup included five true freshmen. Along with Kelley and Peters, the Bulldogs’ Taylor Borman, Anna Allen and Molly Pittman also earned starts Sunday. Borman and Pittman both tallied two shot attempts, while Allen also rattled off a shot.
Samford’s defense played strong throughout the match and withstood 10 Lady Vol corner kicks.
The Samford University soccer team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs face off against their second straight SEC opponent in the Auburn Tigers.
Western Carolina 2, Eastern Kentucky 0
RICHMOND, Ky. – Western Carolina’s women’s soccer team improved to 2-0 to start the 2013 season with a 2-0 win over Eastern Kentucky on Sunday at EKU Soccer Field.
The Catamounts snapped the Colonels’ eight-game winning streak at home. EKU (0-2) went undefeated at home in 2012, with its last loss a 1-0 defeat by Murray State on Oct. 30, 2011.
Western Carolina has gone 180 minutes without allowing a goal, shutting out Lipscomb University on Friday and EKU on Sunday.
The 2-0 start for the Catamounts is the best for the team since 2010, head coach Chad Miller’s first year at the helm of the program.
It looked like the first half would end scoreless but the Catamount offense continued to press and it paid off with just 26 seconds left in the half. Freshman Casey Cooke scored on a header off a free kick thanks to a pass by Christina White.
As was the case on Friday against Lipscomb, junior Jenny Lauer and freshman Carly Tinstman shared goalkeeper duties. Lauer played the first half, picking up a save, and Tinstman went in goal the final 45 minutes, notching two saves.
The Catamount offense took pressure off both goalies when WCU tacked on an insurance goal early in the second half. Sophomore forward Markie-Lynn Studnicky scored from 10 yards out as the ball edged past EKU goalie Erika Wolfer, who made a diving play to save the ball, but it rolled just past her into the back of the net.
Junior Caitlyn Bradham picked up the assist on Studnicky’s goal, adding to her own goal against Lipscomb on Friday.
Western Carolina out-shot Eastern Kentucky 14-12 and relied on its strong defensive pressure to keep the Colonels out of the net. Lauer improves to 2-0 in goal.
Western Carolina continues its road swing Aug. 30 and Sept. 2 in a tournament at East Carolina University. The Catamounts face UNCW at 5 p.m. Friday and face host ECU at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Wofford 0, USC Upstate 0 (2OT)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's soccer team tied USC Upstate, 0-0, Sunday afternoon at County University Soccer Stadium. The Terriers moved to 0-1-1 overall, while the Spartans moved to 1-0-1.
In the first half, the Terriers had a chance to take the lead early in the ninth minute, when sophomore midfielder Emily Gaid had a shot just outside the 18-yard box that was saved by USC Upstate goalkeeper Sarah Plantz.
In the 16th minute, junior midfielder Chelsea Turner got on the end of freshman forward Faith Lifer’s corner kick, but the shot was blocked by a Spartan defender. Wofford then had its best chance of the half when junior Maureen Buff’s free kick found sophomore forward Mary Beth Bleekrode, who missed wide of the goal in the 25th minute.
USC Upstate then had its best chance late in the half, when defender Ciara Murphy had a shot in the 43rd minute, forcing senior goalkeeper Kimberly Cohn to make a save. Although the Terriers dominated the first half, the teams went into the break all knotted up, 0-0.
In the second half, Wofford started quickly in the 47th minute when freshman defender Bailey Masters had a shot just outside the 18-yard box sail high over the goal. The Spartans then responded two minutes later, when Haley Gethin had a one-on-one opportunity with Cohn, who stole the ball right off her feet, making a huge save for the Terriers.
Cohn came up with another big save when forward Rachel Carr had a one-on-one chance in the 64th minute. Lifer had a response in the 66th minute when her shot just flew wide. Both teams continued to battle in the second half with one shot after another, but the game wouldn’t be decided in regular time, as the teams went into overtime.
In the first overtime period, the Spartans had the first chance when Carr hit a shot just wide of the top right corner of the goal in the 95th minute. USC Upstate continued putting more pressure on the Terriers with several more opportunities to score. Bleekrode had the best chance for Wofford in the 98th minute, when she had a shot inside the 18-yard box that was saved by Plantz.
In the second overtime period, Buff had an opportunity to score in the 108th minute when her header off of a free kick from freshman defender Tanner Kaplan sailed just over the goal.
Cohn earned her first shutout of the season, facing a total of 14 Spartan shots, five on goal, and made five saves. Plantz also earned her first shutout of the season, facing 11 Terrier shots and making two saves.
USC Upstate won the shot battle 14-11, while the Terriers won the corner battle 6-2.
Wofford will return to action on Friday, Aug. 30, when it hosts Costal Carolina University for its home opener at Snyder Field at 7 p.m.
Davidson 0, Coastal Carolina 0 (2OT)
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson closed out its two-game homestand to open the 2013 campaign by playing to a scoreless draw against visiting Coastal Carolina on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.
The Wildcats (0-1-1) took a game-high 24 shots, putting nine of them on goal, but they were unable to punch one through. Becca Fisher again led the way with six shots, three on goal, while Sarah Tuggle fired off five shots.
Rachel Locke stopped five shots in goal, including one big one in the final 30 seconds of the second overtime. The Chanticleers got a shot in the box on the near post that Locke saved, but the ball went past the end line, resulting in a corner kick for Coastal (1-0-1). The Chanticleers quickly lined up and got the kick off with the clock running down, but Davidson’s defense knocked the ball away to earn the draw.
Megan Spencer of Coastal Carolina finished with nine saves, while Brianna Panico had a team-high five shots on offense.
Davidson hits the road for the first time, going to the state of Florida for the FGCU tournament. It plays at Florida Gulf Coastal next weekend, opening against the host Eagles on Friday and then taking on Florida Atlantic on Sunday.
Elon 1, East Carolina 1 (2OT)
ELON, N.C. – Goals less than three minutes apart late in the match and a penalty kick with a second left on the clock led to a wild finish at Rudd Field on Sunday in a game that ended in a 1-1 draw between the Elon women’s soccer team and the visiting East Carolina Lady Pirates.
After ECU (1-0-1) took a 1-0 lead in the 84th minute off a Stephanie Seagraves goal, Elon's Chelsey Stark hit the equalizer less than three minutes later off a great through ball from Marissa Russo to tie the match at 1-all.
In the 90th minute and with 1.5 seconds on the clock, an ECU foul in the box gave the Phoenix (1-0-1) a chance to win the game on a Mackey penalty kick. But ECU goalkeeper Sandra Baron made a great save to send the match to overtime.
The Phoenix had its chances in overtime, including a shot off the crossbar by Nicole Dennion, but could not convert the golden goal.
Elon outshot the Lady Pirates 25-3 in the draw, putting nine shots on-frame to ECU’s one. The Phoenix ended the match with a 14-3 advantage in corner kicks.
The Phoenix outshot the Pirates 10-1 in the opening frame.
Elon’s next game is scheduled for Sept. 1 when it welcomes Charlotte to Rudd Field for a 7 p.m. kick.
Navy 5, The Citadel 0
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy scored three times in the first half and went on to a 5-0 win over The Citadel in the finale of a two-game, season-opening road trip for the Bulldogs.
The Citadel dropped to 0-2, while the Midshipmen evened their mark at 1-1. The Bulldogs are back in action on Friday when they play their home opener against Jacksonville State at WLI Field with kickoff at 4 p.m.
After allowing goals to Paloma Perez, Morgan Dankanich and Cat Macklin in the opening 45 minutes, The Citadel defense stiffened after intermission, surrendering only one tally, and that didn't come until the final two minutes of the game. Navy did benefit from an own goal in the opening stages of the second half.
The Midshipmen held a 29-1 advantage in shots. Naomi Carter started in goal for the Bulldogs and made seven saves in 58 minutes, and Sarah Katchen stopped two shots in her 32 minutes of action. Nicole Levermann had the lone shot for the Bulldogs midway through the first half.
The match against Jacksonville State on Friday is the opener of a three-game homestand for the Bulldogs, who also host Canisius and Charleston Southern the next two Sundays.
Indiana 5, Georgia Southern 0
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Georgia Southern’s women’s soccer team dropped a 5-0 match to Indiana on Sunday afternoon. The match closed a 0-2 opening weekend of the 2013 season.
The Eagles are back in action next weekend with a tour of North Carolina. GSU faces NC State on Friday night and High Point on Sunday afternoon.
The match went in favor of the Hoosiers from the opening whistle, with the hosts claiming back-to-back goals in the 10th and 12th minutes. The first was scored when a free kick from 40 yards was served into the box for a header by Monica Melink. IU’s second goal was an Abby Smith shot from the penalty spot.
Indiana scored its third on 18 minutes when a corner was played to the top of the box, allowing Tori Keller to thread a shot through traffic for a 3-0 advantage for the hosts.
Georgia Southern’s defense clamped down over the final 27 minutes in the first half to hold the Hoosiers at three goals into the halftime break.
The Hoosiers added their fourth goal in the 56th minute, a cross from the right side that was struck into the net by Jordan Woolums. The hosts added their fifth goal in the 75th minute, with Kristin Leist scoring the goal.
The statistics finished decidedly in Indiana’s favor with the hosts taking 22 shots to Georgia Southern’s two. The Hoosiers landed 13 shots on goal with Eagle net-minder Heather Kirkover recording eight saves. IU led the corner kick battle 7-2, while fouls were even at 8-8.
Next up for the Eagles is an Aug. 30 trip to NC State. The battle between the Eagles and Wolfpack starts at 7 p.m.
Austin Peay 2, Appalachian State 1
BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University women’s soccer (1-1-0) hosted the Austin Peay Lady Govs (2-0-0) on Sunday afternoon at Appalachian Soccer Stadium. The Mountaineers fell, 2-1.
It didn’t take long for the Lady Govs to strike first, in the 11th minute. Tatiana Ariza scored off a rebounded shot that hit the post and was able to sneak it past Megan Roberson, who got the starting nod for head coach Sarah Strickland’s squad.
Eight minutes later, Ariza assisted Morgan Zigelsky, who scored from the left side of the box, beating Roberson to the upper right 90 of the goal and extending the Austin Peay lead, 2-0.
The Mountaineers came out in the second half firing on all cylinders. App State became very aggressive and was able to outshoot the Lady Govs seven to four in the second 45.
Appalachian drew closer to Austin Peay in the 54th minute, as Jenna Caudle set up Julia Holz on a great through ball that allowed Holz to get a shot off from the right side of the box and just brush it past the inside of the left post to score. The goal was Holz’s second of the year and brought the Apps within one.
That’s how the game would stay, as the play became more physical down the stretch. Only 13 total fouls were called on the afternoon – seven for App State and six for Austin Peay.
The Mountaineers will be back in action on Friday when the take on the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. The match is part of the Colorado College Invitational and will be played in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
Washington 1, UNCG 0 (2OT)
WAIPAHU, O'ahu – After playing another double overtime game, the UNCG women's soccer team fell just short to Pac-12 member Washington, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at Waipo Stadium.
The Spartans played more than 200 minutes in two games in Hawaii but came away 1-1 after two tough games.
In the second overtime, Amanda Perez found Jaclyn Softli with a header that found the back of the net to give Washington the victory.
In the second half, UNCG freshman Georgia Brown had an opportunity in the 76th minute, putting a shot on goal, but Washington keeper Megan Kufeld made the save.
The Huskies had their best chance in the 72nd minute when Lindsay Elston laced a ball off the crossbar. Sophomore goalkeeper Jamie Simmons had three saves in the second half to keep Washington off the board.
In the first half, UNCG frustrated Washington with its defensive style of play that led to a tie at halftime. Sophomore Katherine Rodriguez fired a shot on goal but Kufeld made the save.
In the 35th minute, senior Lauren Lover had an attempt on goal but Kufeld made the stop.
Freshmen Kelsi Peters and Katelyn Mountjoy earned their first collegiate starts against the Huskies.
Simmons finished the game with seven saves, while Washington keeper Kufeld had three.
UNCG heads back to North Carolina to participate in the East Carolina tournament Friday, starting with host ECU at 7:30 p.m.
Clemson 1, Furman 0
CLEMSON, S.C. – Catrina Atanda scored on a rebound in the 55th minute and Clemson held off a late Furman surge to down the Paladins, 1-0, in women’s soccer action on Sunday evening at Historic Riggs Field.
With the Tigers pressuring Furman’s back line in the opening minutes of the second half, Tori Andreski lined a shot at goalkeeper Rose Hull. The sophomore attempted to smother the shot on the short hop, but it rebounded off of her chest and into the path of Atanda, who poked a shot into the open net for the lone goal of the match.
The Tigers controlled possession for most of the first half and created several early chances as Hull pushed a shot wide of the post with a diving effort in the 11th minute and stopped a driving shot in the 18th minute.
India Robinson produced Furman’s best chance of the half just past the half hour mark. The Camden, S.C., native created space for herself in the midfield and unleashed a 30-yard shot that banged off the crossbar before being caught by Clemson goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.
Hull maintained the 0-0 score line by tipping Abby Jones’ long-range shot over the crossbar with less than a minute remaining before intermission.
In the second half, Clemson produced five shots in the opening 10 minutes, including two on goal, before Atanda netted the eventual match-winning tally. Atanda nearly doubled the lead when she hit the right post in the 63rd minute.
Furman put together a late rally. Alyssa Althoff forced Sheridan into an 83rd-minute save and Stephanie DeVita drilled an 87th-minute shot that Sheridan tipped over the bar for a corner kick. Seconds later, freshman Carlie Couch ran onto a cross in the box, but the Tifton, Ga., product pulled her shot across her body and wide of the left post.
Clemson managed a 25-7 advantage in shot attempts and 10-3 lead in shots on goal. Hull stopped nine shots in a losing effort, while Sheridan turned away three shots for the Tigers.
Furman returns to action next Sunday when it travels to Athens, Ga., to face the Georgia Bulldogs at 2 p.m.